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Learn About Metro Peoria

The Metro Peoria Committee, a joint effort between Peoria County and the City of Peoria, identifies, investigates, and implements collaboration initiatives intended to improve efficiencies and save tax payer dollars. Click here to learn how Metro Peoria is collaborating for our future.

County Board: Meet Your Board Members

Meet the Peoria County Board Members

Sharon K. Williams is a life-long resident of the Peoria area. She was elected to the County Board in November 2012. Sharon is the Editor/Business Manager of The Labor Paper, where she has worked since 1994.

Sharon graduated from Woodruff High School, attended Illinois Central College, and in 1993 received her B.S. in Public Relations with a minor in Business Administration from Illinois State University. She has also graduated from the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership (IWIL) and the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce’s legislative program.

Sharon has volunteered for the Heart of Illinois United Way, where she is a pillar society member; served as former secretary and board member of the Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters; and was a board member for the Friendship House and Global Village. In addition to serving as a Union Counselor with the Labor Council of West Central Illinois, Sharon has volunteered her time for the Union Construction Career Expo and the annual Labor Day Parade. She was recognized for her work in career development through the Peoria Educational Region for Employment and Career Training and was named to the 2001 Class of 40 Leaders under Forty by Central Illinois Business Publishers.

Sharon enjoys serving the constituents of Peoria County and her district.

Junior Watkins is in the midst of
his third term on the Peoria County Board. A graduate of Peoria Manual
High School, he attended Grand View College and is employed in the sales
department of Brewers Distributing in Peoria.

Mr. Watkins is a former co-chairman
of the United Auto Workers Election Commission, a member of the Greater
Peoria Sports Hall of Fame Board and an advisory member of the Peoria Park
District Recreation Advisory Board.

In addition, he serves as director
of the Elks Grand Athletic Board. He is also the founder and charter
member of the Afro-American Hall of Fame, a founder of the Hersey Hawkins /
Coca-Cola Summer Basketball League and a League Commissioner for the
Moonlight Basketball League.

Lynn Scott Pearson is beginning her
18th year of service to the citizens of Peoria County.

Pearson, a retiree of Caterpillar, Inc., has an extensive background of
community service. She has served as President of the Board of Directors for Friendship House
and Chairperson of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. She has also served as
a member of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program Advisory Council and the
Peoria County Democratic Women Committee.

Throughout her tenure on the Peoria County Board, Ms. Pearson has served
on the following committees: Tax, Health Services, Land Use, Management Services, Position
Evaluation, Administrator Search and Administrator Evaluation.

Andrew Rand has been a Peoria resident for twenty years. Relocating from a northernmost city district into the very heart of Peoria where he now represents District 4, his boundaries are often considered home to the most diverse and gentrified properties, homeowners, and residents in all of Peoria County.

District 4 encompasses warm and historic neighborhoods, Bradley University, Main Street merchants, tennis courts and ball fields, Interstate 74, stately homes along Moss Avenue, the historic homes of the Uplands, public and private schools, students and professors, parks and playgrounds, apartment dwellers, longtime homeowners, west bluff views of the city, and massive tree lined streets and boulevards connecting it all. It is bordered on the west by the small town setting of West Peoria and is nearby the medical centers of Methodist and OSF St. Francis.

Andrew attended the public schools of Miami-Dade County. In college, he became a licensed paramedic for the State of South Carolina and received his Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in 1986, majoring in Finance. He is the CEO of Peoria based Advanced Medical Transport, the largest downstate provider of ambulance services and critical care patient transportation in Illinois.

As a county board member for District 4, Andrew Rand serves on the committees of Judicial, Management Services, Finance, and Transportation. He serves with Chairman O'Neill and Board Member Steve Morris as a three member panel overseeing implementation of terms that govern the planning, shaping, construction, and management of the soon to be constructed Peoria Riverfront Museum to be located adjacent to another planned riverfront landmark, the Caterpillar Visitor's Center. Andrew serves as board liaison and point person in the County's newly taken role as Animal Protection & Welfare Provider, assessing the needs and services available for this most important role that affects the quality of everyday neighborhood living.

One of the board's tireless workers, Andrew is frequently seen on the move to learn from many what he must in order to craft a vision that benefits his constituents. Andrew can be reached by e-mail or phone or you may likely see and visit with him at one of the many meetings and events he attends, supports and embraces throughout each of the four seasons.

Rachael Parker was elected to the County Board in November 2010, with that win she had to resign her position of 3 ½ years on Peoria District 150’s School Board where she represented district 2. Rachael is the Economic Development Director for the City of Chillicothe and understands the connection between, government, business and education. She has lived in the 5th District of Peoria County since 1987 and wants to do whatever she can to help support residents and businesses in that district and the County as a whole. Rachael is and has been actively involved in the community with her volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Heart of Peoria Neighborhood Association, an Advisory Board Member for the Salvation Army, a member of the Chillicothe Rotary and an active member of St. Paul Baptist Church. She also runs a small business, Sweet Cakes by Rachael. Rachael has two children and two grandchildren.

Rachael is a graduate of Bradley University, where she was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. Rachael is proud to serve the residents of District 5 and Peoria County.

Allen Mayer was re-elected to a second four-year term on the Board in November 2008. He currently serves as Chairman of the Tax, Elections, Policy & Audit Committee, and Rules and Redistricting Committees. Mr. Mayer is also a member of the Finance and Executive Committees.

During his first term on the Board, Mr. Mayer led the Board's decision to deny the proposed expansion of a hazardous waste landfill. This decision was unanimously upheld by the Illinois Pollution Control Board and the Appellate Court. Mr. Mayer also championed improvements to Peoria County’s financial policies. Now, Peoria County enjoys its lowest property tax rate in over a decade, in addition to maintaining healthy fund balances. Indeed, Peoria County has seen its bond rating improve twice during the most difficult economy since the Great Depression.

More recently, Mr. Mayer has been a strong advocate for the County's new elder care facility, currently being constructed to replace Bel-Wood Nursing Home. This state-of-the-art facility is being built without new taxes by using a combination of cash reserves and the levy that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in a 2003 referendum.

Mr. Mayer currently serves as Deputy General Counsel to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). He previously served as Counsel to Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes where, among other duties, he worked to restore Springdale Cemetery, return surplus property taxes to homeowners, pass legislation to curb "pay to play" politics in state government, and preserve overtime rights for Illinois workers.

In 2005, the Peoria Jaycees presented Mr. Mayer the Charles C. Schlink Good Government Award. In 2006, he won the prestigious Illinois Jaycees’ TOYP (Ten Outstanding Young People) Award. And in 2007, he was named one of "Forty under 40" leaders by InterBusiness Issues.

Mr. Mayer is a graduate of the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) and is an honors graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois College of Law. He and his wife Carey have a son, Conrad, and a daughter, Katherine. Carey works in Peoria as a licensed architect and LEED-certified professional. They are active members of First English Lutheran Church and are involved in several local civic organizations including the Biltmore Heights Neighborhood Association, WTVP-TV, and the Junior League of Peoria.

James Dillon is serving his first term on the Peoria County Board. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Marquette University and attended the Les Aspin Center for Government. A member of Plumbers Local 63, James works for J.C. Dillon Plumbing.

James has been involved with Township Government since 2001, serving first as a trustee and now as Township Clerk. He is active in many community organizations and is looking forward to serving the residents of District 7 and Peoria County.

Born in Peoria, Phil received his B.S. from Bradley University and completed his Master's Degree at the University of Illinois. After teaching in an agricultural community near Champaign, he returned to Peoria and spent over 30 years serving District #150 at Peoria High School.

Respected in his profession, he has held various positions in teaching and coaching. Before serving a term as President of the Peoria-Pekin Social Studies Association he held other offices in the organization. He was chairman of the Social Studies Department at Peoria High School for 16 years. For 33 years, he has been an officer in the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. From 1978-2004, He was on the IHSA Track & Field Advisory committee. He became the first chairman of the Girls & Boys committee when it was combined. For 14 years, he was Meet Manager of both the Girls and Boys State Meets.

Actively involved with the community, he has been a member of many boards. He served on the Alzheimer's, Peoria Zoning Commission and the original committee which brought "March Madness" and the IHSA State Basketball Tournament to Peoria in 1996. Presently, he serves on the following boards or commissions: Exposition Gardens/Heart of Illinois Fair, Peoria Convention Bureau Sports Commission, Labor Council of West Central Illinois, Greater Peoria Area Sports Commission, and Old Timer's Baseball Association.
Recognized twice as Teacher of the Year, he has been honored numerous times. Phil was named Illinois High School Track & Field Coach of the Year in 1974, and the recipient of the prestigious "Ray Eliot" Award in High School Football. He has been honorary referee for the Girls & Boys State Track & Field meets as well as honorary referee at the state Cross Country event. Other awards he has received have come from the Peoria Officials Association, Greater Peoria Football Coaches Association, Labor Council, National High School Athletic Coaches Association, Illinois Track & Field and Cross Country Association and IHSA for Meritorious Service.

Over the course of his career, he has been inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches, Greater Peoria Area Sports, Peoria High School and Illinois High School Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Halls of Fame.

Mike Phelan was elected to the County Board in 1998. He currently serves on the Judicial, Facilities, and Executive Committees. He also chairs the Management Services Committee. While on the Board, Mr. Phelan has also served as Vice Chairman of the Management Services and Judicial Committees, in addition to being on the Finance/Legislative Study Committee.

Mr. Phelan serves as a County Board representative on the following Ad Hoc/Advisory Committees: GIS Policy Committee, Minority Business Ad-Hoc Committee, Public Aid Committee of Peoria County, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Heartland Community Development Corp, and the City/County Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee. Mr. Phelan is the Vice Chairman of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.

Born in Peoria, Stephen is a graduate of Richwoods High School; he received his B.A. (1993) and his J.D. (1996) from Creighton University.

A partner with the firm of Howard, Habecker & Morris, LLC, Stephen has been practicing law in Peoria since 1996. He formerly served on the Peoria Public School District #150 Board. Stephen currently serves the County on the Executive, Finance, Management Services, Peoria Riverfront Museum and Intergovernmental Cooperation, and Public Safety Committees. He is also one of the County’s liaisons to the Peoria City-County Landfill and Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Transportation Study committees.

Mary Ardapple was elected to the County Board in November 2010. She has lived in Peoria County since 1982 and is well known for her passionate support and promotion of the community. Mary lends her talents in strengthening our community as a leader and volunteer. She has been involved with the Heart of Illinois Hospitality Association, Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, Central Illinois Community Foundation, District 150 Foundation, the Heartland Partnership, and the National Association of Women Business Owners. Mary has served on Peoria County's Zoning Board of Appeals, the Peoria Liquor Commission, and the Peoria Public Library Board of Trustees.

A foodservice professional and entrepreneur, Mary is an experienced small business owner who currently owns and operates Apple's Bakery Northside Market and Apple's Gluten Free Kitchen. Previously, Mary owned and operated O'Leary's Restaurant for ten years.

Mary graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Business Administration and Management. Mary and her husband Chris Dierker have a son Alex.

Robert Baietto is a graduate of Streator High School;
he received his B.S. in Education from the University of Illinois and completed
his M.S. +30 hours in
Education from Bradley University.

Mr. Baietto was employed by
Richwoods High School for 34 years, first serving as a P.E. teacher,
industrial arts teacher, driver's education instructor and coach of the
football, track and swim teams. He was later named Director of Physical
Education and Athletics. From there, he was named Assistant Principal and
Dean of Students and finally Principal.

He has served as the coordinator of
Heart of Illinois Harvest, a volunteer program to feed the hungry. He is also
a member of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association, the Peoria Area
Retired Teachers Association and Rotary Club of Peoria.

He and his wife, Gloria Jean, have
three children: Michael, Randy and Amy, as well as five
grandchildren.

Jim Fennell was elected to the Peoria County Board in November 2010. He is the President and CEO of J T Fennell Co in Chillicothe, a manufacturer of steel assemblies. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the First National Bank of Chillicothe, and previously served on the Illinois Valley Unit District 321 School Board for 16 years. He also served on the IVC Education Foundation Board.

Jim has volunteered for the Chillicothe Community Fire Department for 41 years and has been elected as its treasurer for 30 years. He is currently a Deputy Chief for the Department.

Brian Elsasser is serving his
second term on the County Board. This magna cum laude graduate of Bradley
University is a self-employed grain and cattle farmer. He and his wife, Mary Beth, have
six children: Jeremy, Jamie, J. Michael, B.J., Alexandra and
Paige. Mr. Elsasser has served on Land Use, Facilities, Transportation, and
Legislation Committees. Mr. Elsasser has also served as Vice Chairman of
the Board from 2000-2002, and a Hallock Township Trustee from 1988-1996 term.

Mr. Elsasser is a member of the
Peoria County Farm Bureau, Apostolic Christian Church, Peoria County Beef
Improvement and past State President of Future Farmers of America.

A resident of Peoria County since 1970, Carol Trumpe has served on the Peoria County Board from 1985 to 1990, and 1994 to the present. She has a B.S. in Sociology from Colorado State University and an M.S in Sociology from Purdue University. A former college instructor, she has served on the Board of Directors of the South Side Mission, the Rural Peoria County Council on Aging, and the Domestic Violence Learning Project, which she helped to establish in Peoria in 1988. She also served on the Public Policy Committee of the Central Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer Assoc., the Illinois State Fair Advisory Board, and as Co-Chairman of the Peoria Symphony Guild Designer Showhouse 1993 (major fundraiser event).

She is a member of the Peoria County Republican Central Committee, the Peoria County Republican Women's Club (past President), the National Society of Arts and Letters, Kappa Alpha Theta Alum Club (social sorority), Peoria County Farm Bureau, and leader of an interdenominational Bible Study group in Kickapoo Township since 1970. As a member of Grace Presbyterian Church, Carol was an Executive Team member and speaker for Grace's 2006 Capital Campaign.

Carol's current service on the County Board includes the following committees: Executive Committee, Land Use (Chairman), Transportation, Finance/Legislative Study Committee, and Growth Policy (Chairman). In addition, she represents the Peoria County Board on the Peoria GIS Policy Committee, and Prairie Rivers Resource, Conservation and Development Council (annual program planning committee). She serves as active liaison to the Regional University of Illinois Extension Council.

Carol is married to Richard M. Trumpe, Ph.D., a retired administrator at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. They reside on their grain farm in Kickapoo Township. The Trumpes have a son, Rick, of Edwards, and a daughter, Kim Brooks-Miller Sink, of Pella, Iowa.

Tom O'Neill III has been a Peoria County Board member since 1993. Tom has served on the Transportation, Executive, Judicial, Economic Development, Land Use, and Facilities committees. He has also been a member of the Peoria-Pekin Urban Area Transportation Study (PPUATS) Policy Committee, the Regional Pollution Control Committee, and Chaired the Board of Local Improvements Committee.

In addition to serving on the County Board, Tom has been very active in the community in other ways. He has served as St. Anthony's Church High School Youth Group Director and on the Parrish Board of Directors. He has been a Limestone youth basketball and baseball league coach and served on both Boards of Directors. And Tom has been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1973.

Tom is a graduate of Spalding Institute and successfully completed the electrical apprenticeship program through the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local # 34. Since 1984, Tom has worked for the City of Peoria Public Works Department as a signal electrician; he is currently the lead signal electrician. Tom and his wife of 35 years, Geri, have two sons, Thomas IV and Andy, and a granddaughter, Madelyn.

Paul Rosenbohm was elected to the County Board in November 2010. He is President of LHF Compost, Inc., an organic compost facility that produces Better Earth Compost. Paul was also a dairy farmer on Linden Hill Farms with his family for 30 years.

In addition to serving his constituents on the county board, Paul is a member of the Peoria County Farm Bureau, served on its Board of Directors for six years, and is a graduate of the Bureau's Ag Leaders of Tomorrow program. Paul also served on the Limestone Walters Grade School Board, was president of the Peoria County Health Improvement Board for two years, served on his church board, and taught Sunday School.

Paul attended Illinois Central College. He and his wife June have five children and nine grandchildren.

Featured Content

Learn About Metro Peoria

The Metro Peoria Committee, a joint effort between Peoria County and the City of Peoria, identifies, investigates, and implements collaboration initiatives intended to improve efficiencies and save tax payer dollars. Click here to learn how Metro Peoria is collaborating for our future.